The Guy With One Shoe
by sammysunflowers
Summary: Annabeth is sick with worry when Percy disappears and the woman with the goat skin cape is no help whatsoever and neither is the guy with one shoe.


"**Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live"**

**Norman cousins**

She remembered the last time they kissed.

He had walked her back to her Cabin after Capture the flag. She remembered his lips, soft against hers. She remembered his intense sea green eyes and she remembered noticing how good he looked in battle armor.

They had snuck back behind the Athena Cabin and he had kissed her gently at first, then harder. His hands slid up her back and knotted in her hair. She remembered thinking that this was the textbook definition of a perfect moment. She told him so. He gave her a throaty chuckle and added "all we need is some blue food" and then he kissed her again. Everywhere they touched felt like sparks and warmth. Then he whispered the gentle, careful, almost hesitant "I love you".

"I stand corrected" she had murmured back. "_Now, _this is the textbook definition of a perfect moment." Then after a pause she added "you know I love you too seaweed brain." He started to say something but was cut short by the 10:00 bell, signaling lights out. "I've gotta go" he said and started to move away. "Good night" he kissed her one last time. "Good night." Then he was gone.

She went Into the Athena Cabin to find all of her siblings eyeing her suspiciously. She felt her cheeks heat up and willed herself not to blush. It was a sure giveaway. She curled up on her bunk and set her knife on her bedside table, hopefully she wouldn't need it tonight.

In her sleep Annabeth was walking through camp and everyone was lined up in front of their cabins she was walking past every single person checking them off on a clipboard that she was holding. Conner, Travis, Katie. Everyone was there. She got to the big three cabins towards the lake and noticed something. She couldn't tell what it was but something was definitely wrong. She walked past the Poseidon Cabin and looked up, expecting Percy to give her a funny wink. He wasn't there. Her insides turned to cold hard led, her face drained of all color. She whirled around and reached for her knife ready to fight for him but all she could see was a woman. She was covered from head to toe in black gauze; she even had a black veil to cover her face and hair. All that she could see of her were her hands which were slim, long, and perfectly manicured. As she turned towards her, Annabeth caught a glimpse of a long furry cape that dragged behind her like a disgusting, hairy bridle train. She kept coming towards Annabeth until they were only a few feet apart. She lifted her black veil to reveal long, wavy brown hair and electric blue eyes on a pale, slender, almost perfect face. The Woman leaned in closer to whisper "thirty five degrees north, one hundred and thirteen degrees west, elevation 4800 feet."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Annabeth.

"The Grand Canyon Skywalk dear" she said as if it should have been obvious. Annabeth resisted the urge to punch her.

"Who are you?"

"Never mind that dear; you've got more important things to worry about." The woman started to turn away.

"WAIT!" Annabeth screamed, close to frustrated tears now.

"Yes dear?" the woman turned.

"Help me!"

"I already have." She gave her a pitying smile and the urge to hit her grew.

"Where has Percy gone?" Annabeth asked desperately.

"I can't tell you that." She started to turn again but then turned back, as if having second thoughts, "But the Boy with only one shoe might be able to."

"Where can I find him?" the woman just raised her arm in farewell. "STOP!" Annabeth shouted and desperately threw her knife at her. It passed straight through her and landed on the other side. The woman looked at her with pity filled eyes and just, blew away, dust in the wind. Annabeth fell to her knees and cried.

Annabeth jolted upright. She looked around everything looked fine. Her cabin mates were all sleeping and rain was pouring down outside. Wait… rain? It shouldn't be raining; the camp had an enchanted boundary that allowed them to control the weather. The Demeter kids must have asked for some rain for the plants. She opened the cabin door and looked outside. Everything seemed fine. Just a dream. Just a dream she reminded herself, trying to forget that for demigods, dreams never were just dreams. She reached her hand outside to feel the rain and that's when she saw it. A glint of gold. Like someone had thrown their knife at someone. Annabeth turned. Her knife was not on her bedside table.

Annabeth ran. She raced through the meadow, not caring that the satyrs would have her hanged for ruining their strawberry plants. Then she reached it, the glint. She reached down and picked up a celestial bronze knife, identical to her own. Annabeth bolted out of the strawberry patch and dashed to the Poseidon Cabin, she barreled through the door, not caring if she offended the gods. She looked at Percy's lonely bed. It was still made. As if he had never reached it.

Chiron was pacing, Dionysus was eating grapes, and Annabeth was sobbing. It had been one day since she had had the dream. The damn dream! Why did she let Percy leave? She should have followed him. He never should have left her!

"Please Chiron, let me have a quest! I need to do this I need to rescue Percy!"

"Annabeth!" Chiron said firmly. "We cannot give you a quest without an oracle, and the oracle is currently at Clarion Ladies Academy!"

"To hell with the oracle!" Annabeth Yelled, rising from her chair to look Chiron squarely in the eye. "You want to just leave him?"

"No, I'm trying to think of a loophole."

"To hell with loopholes!"

"Annabeth, Language."

She couldn't believe that he was correcting her language at a time like this. "Well pardon my French, but I cannot and will not leave him!"

"I," interjected Mr. D "am actually a huge fan of that idea"

Annabeth whirled on him "stick to the grapes Beer gut" she hissed.

"Now Annabeth-" Chiron started but was cut off by Annabeth's shriek of frustration and the slamming of the front door.

She had to find a way out of here! A ride from Argus was out of the question, she could take a Pegasus but she didn't speak horse and wasn't too good at steering. She could get in one of the canoes; no they wouldn't go fast enough. She would need Percy for the canoes not to be a complete waste of time. Oh Percy. She would get there somehow. 35, 113, 48000. She needed a ride, preferably a flying one. Who was good with horses? Selena Beauregard came to mind but she died last summer. Just then Butch came lumbering past her. Now butch was not someone that you would expect to be gentle, what with his big calloused hands and huge bulging muscles, but once you got to know him you realized that even though his voice was the deepest thing she had ever heard, his callouses were mostly from brushing horses, pegasi to be exact. _Pegasi. _"Hey Butch!" She called after him. He turned toward her. "I was wondering, um, well, could you, uh maybe… give me a ride to the Grand Canyon?" she blurted out the last part of the sentence. He gave her a confused look, so she explained to him. The dream, Percy's absence which everyone already knew about, about how Rachael was away at school so she couldn't get a quest and about how she was planning on sneaking out anyway. Butch was just one of those people who wanted to make people happy and he and Percy were friends, they would train together sometimes. He agreed almost instantly and before long they were taking to the skies in a pegasi drawn carriage. _Percy _she thought _here I come._ Before long they saw the storm. Soon after that they landed. If Annabeth hadn't been almost crazy with worry she might have enjoyed the incredible view but she was, so she didn't. She looked around. No Percy.

And the guy with one shoe didn't have a clue.

_**VICTOIRE**_

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